The True Battle
by RenabelleGal
Summary: Everyone thought that the battle at the Putnam barn killed off Chase. What happens when Chase survives the battle and the true battle begins? Will the boys finally defeat Chase and stop his evil?
1. Voices

**I do not own any of the characters and locations in The Covenant, although I'd like to own one :cough:**

The cold, unblinking eyes scanned the school grounds. The figure to whom they belonged to smiled sardonically. His eyes traveled over to a large estate near the school building. "Watch your back, Caleb. I'll return for your powers. And your little friends' powers, too," a wispy voice, thick with menace, issued from his mouth.

Caleb Danvers woke with a start. He was drenched in cold sweat. The dream of Chase was all too vivid. He breathed heavily as he sat up, thinking about his dream. The battle had ended a month ago… yet why wasn't he at ease? Surely he should feel happier, safer now, with Chase dead and his loved ones safe?

"_Dead? Are you sure I'm dead_?" a voice suddenly whispered out of nowhere. It sounded exactly like Chase.

_Chase Collins._ Caleb thought frantically, before calming down. He checked his watch. 5:47 AM. _School's gonna start in a few hours anyway. Guess I'd better take a shower. _Caleb thought, trying to drive away the horrific thoughts slowly claiming his mind.

He went to the bathroom and switched on the shower tap. Now, warm jets of water poured down upon his body, instead of the cold sweat due to his dream. Thoughts raced through his mind, like the water racing down his back. He was worried that Chase was still alive – especially after since there no physical evidence of his body was found in the Putnam barn.

Another thing that unnerved him was that in his dream, the dream Chase had mentioned about getting the other three Sons of Ipswich's powers. Reid was due to Ascend in ten days, Pogue in two weeks and Tyler in almost a month.

What if Reid could not control his power? Would he expose them and bring them into danger? Or what if Pogue got reckless because of Kate, and made them face life-threatening enemies? Or even quiet Tyler – Tyler, who, always followed Reid's example and supported him in whatever he did, and Used his power just to show off, just to prove he was one of the Sons of Ipswich? The thoughts disturbed him.

What disturbed him even more was that Chase – or anyone else who wanted to destroy them, to gain their power, like Chase - could use Sarah and Kate to their advantage? He wanted to protect them, especially his beloved Sarah. He knew Kate was quite well-protected with Pogue by her side, perhaps even over-protected, so he did not worry for her as much as he worried for Sarah.

He stepped out of the shower, changing into his school uniform. Classes would start at 7:30 AM, and he had no desire to get caught by the teachers _not _wearing his school uniform.

_Will this battle be over? Has the real battle ended, or is it just beginning? _Caleb thought.

"_This is only the beginning… the beginning of the real battle, Sons of Ipswich. And your powers will be all mine!_"A voice said from nowhere again.

Caleb turned around angrily, only to see nothing, but was unnerved all the same and decided to tell them what he thought of Chase during swim team practice. He sighed and stepped out from his room, proceeding to breakfast and then, school.

A harsh laugh echoed from Caleb Danvers' room. A figure laughed, and vanished in a small wisp of smoke.

**So how was this? PLEASE R&R, thanks. Hope you enjoyed it. I'll work to put up the other chapters!**

**NOTE: Slightly updated version, is it better now? I hope Caleb isn't so out of character anymore. RedRogue, sorry if the part regarding Caleb's fears on his friends exposing the Covenant is similar to yours in 'The Ipswich Curse', hope you aren't offended or anything. I'm also sorry if you readers don't like me rewriting it, I always rewrite and rewrite till they can fit reviewers' expectations somehow and also until I'm satisfied. **


	2. Disbelief and Dreams

**I stress again that I do not own the characters and locations in The Covenant. The only ones I'll ever own are probably those created by myself.**

"So you claim you heard Chase's voice," Pogue said matter-of-factly, looking at Caleb in the eye.

"Yes." Caleb replied, watching his friends' faces.

"So you think Chase is back."

"Yeah."

"But you _do _realize you killed him, don't you? Caleb, Chase could not have survived the damn fire! You couldn't have survived it yourself, could you? Are you stupid or something?" Reid laughed.

"I could, you know. Since we were evenly matched, he could have survived it, or escaped it," Caleb said quietly.

"I still think you're a nut," Reid said, as he eyed the swimming pool, thinking of racing Caleb.

"Let's race and see who the real nut is!" Caleb said, reading Reid's mind. Pogue was against him, Reid was too, and Tyler would definitely be on Reid's side for the millionth time in Covenant history.

"You'd win, Caleb. It wouldn't be fair 'cause you're better than him," Pogue protested.

"Hey, Ty. What do you think of Caleb the Nut King's words?" Reid asked, after noticing that Tyler had not said a single word.

"I don't think he's crazy. Well, the cops couldn't find a single piece of evidence that he died anyway. He could very well be alive," Tyler said quietly, not noticing the shocked looks all of the remaining three Sons of Ipswich were giving him.

Tyler looked up after what seemed to be a minute and saw that Caleb was wearing a look of part-surprise and part-relief, Reid an expression of disbelieving shock and Pogue was just staring at him with his mouth agape.

"The two of you are _mental_. Chase can't be back! He's addicted to Using, isn't he? So he'd be dead by now 'cause of his extensive Using!" Reid said, clearly still in shock of Tyler's siding with Caleb.

"Wisest words I've heard from you since Chase first appeared! And anyway, you're practically addicted to Using, too, aren't you?" Caleb retorted. "And you're Ascending in ten days! You are going to kill yourself one day – maybe even as soon as you Ascend!"

"That's way harsh, Caleb. Reid has been trying to control his Using, actually. Most he does nowadays is cheating at pool," Tyler said.

"Pogue, Reid, you have to believe me. I can swear Chase is back. He could have Used to escape or protect himself." Caleb spoke in a calmer voice.

Reid's eyes, however, had turned black. He twisted Caleb's arm with strength that he would never possess with the Power.

"Reid – don't do this…" Caleb said, as he felt his shoulder blade breaking.

"Guys, don't start Using, people are going to come in for swim team practice soon! You wouldn't want to expose us, would you?" Pogue said hastily, looking towards the door leading into the locker room.

"Shut up, Danvers. Don't start lecturing me. You KNOW I've always been like this, so just shut up and leave me alone!" Reid said, his eyes slowly returning to his usual blue and his hand slipping off the older Son of Ipswich's shoulder.

_When will Reid learn?_ Caleb thought as he walked out to the pool, leaving Reid fuming and the other two trying to calm him down.

* * *

A man shrouded in darkness spoke. "You don't believe Caleb, do you?"

"No. It's impossible that Chase is back. Caleb killed him!" Reid replied.

"So you think Chase is dead?" the figure said, his voice containing hints of malice.

"Yeah," Reid replied.

"Well then. You thought wrong," the figure laughed, stepping out from the darkness. Chase.

"ARGH!" screamed Reid, waking up from his dream. He held his head in his hands.

"What the heck happened?" Tyler asked, startled.

"Fine. I'm going nuts too. I think I heard Chase in my dream. We were even talking!" Reid said uneasily.

"Just proves he's back, doesn't it? Nice one there this afternoon for nearly crushing Caleb's shoulder," Tyler responded, rolling his eyes.

"He was saying I was going to die as soon as I Ascend! And that I was addicted to Using, like Chase!" Reid argued, his temper rising.

"Fine. So do you believe Caleb?" asked Tyler.

"I guess. My fault, alright?" Reid glowered.

He faced the wall facing his bed. The figure in his nightmare was Chase. He did not want to believe that Chase was back, yet he knew Chase was capable of anything, just like them. He also knew that Chase liked to Use to inflict harm, while he also liked to Use to have fun. Compared to his three friends, he was the one most likely to be addicted. He wondered just how similar he and Chase were.

**So how was this one? I hope it isn't too short, excluding the parts in bold. I have also spellchecked, grammar-checked and content-checked-for-non-OOC-ness the chapter as best as I can, so I really hope I have improved at least slightly, and I don't think I'll start the next chapter till I get a review or two for this chapter or new reviews, so I know there are people interested in reading this, thanks.**


	3. Something Odd About Pogue

**Chapter Three! Had a writer's block halfway or so, but I hope the following is good! Note to my reviewers: Thank you for your reviews, I really appreciated them and I hope you'll enjoy the story in overall and upcoming chapters. I also hope that I did not take too long to update since there seemed to be a problem with the document manager for me.**

Pogue stepped into his room in the house that he lived alone in. Burying his head in his hands, he pondered on Caleb's words. He knew that he could trust Caleb, since he was the sanest and most serious of the group - Pogue was crazy about Kate, Reid was partially addicted to Using, not to mention the fact that he flirted with almost every girl he met and Tyler who depended on Reid to date and followed his example so many times, nobody could keep track at all.

Yet he was reluctant to show his feelings. He hated the idea of seeing Kate covered in spider bites, no thanks to Chase, and hated to believe the possibility of it happening again.

Sighing, he put his bag down on the floor. As he did so, wind blew into the room. _Weird. It's a warm night and the windows are closed_, he thought. He shrugged it off and proceeded to the shower. All of a sudden, ropes of energy gripped him from behind and he collapsed on the ground.

A figure stepped out from one of the spare rooms in the house. He smiled and levitated Pogue to his bed. He walked over to the telephone on the desk and dialled Mrs. Parry's number.

"Mrs. Parry? I'm Pogue's friend..." he begun pleasantly.

When he had Mrs. Parry's worried reply, he hung up and his eyes went as dark as midnight. Seconds later, in his place stood an exact replica of Pogue.

* * *

"I guess I believe you now, Caleb. Chase appeared in my dream last night," Reid said resignedly as the four Sons of Ipswich walked to their last class for the day, History, in the History lecture hall, where they would be - as Reid put it in their first lesson - tortured by Professor Miles - a strict old lady professor who thought that every moment not spent studying history was a moment wasted - with boring facts, not to mention her obsession with punctuality. 

"Yeah. That's what he did to me too," Caleb said.

"Reid woke up yelling last night. He believes you, but didn't say anything about crushing your shoulder!" Tyler laughed, trying to lighten everyone's mood.

"Really? I'll make sure the girls stay away from you so their shoulders and whatnot will never be crushed!" joked Caleb.

"We have to get serious, though. Chase could strike any time _soon,_" Pogue smiled icily, pronouncing the last word slowly.

"You are right. He could strike on Reid's birthday. Doesn't help that he's Ascending in nine days," Caleb said more seriously, before adding, "Since when did you believe me, anyway?"

"Always. I didn't particularly enjoy knowing that Kate was covered in spider bites, you know. Just didn't want to show it," Pogue said a little too quickly, before his frosty smile returned.

"Okay..." Caleb responded.

The group turned a corner in awkward silence. Pogue moved a little towards Reid, with a strange look in his eyes, one that Caleb, who was watching Pogue's behaviour, could not understand. Tyler noticed this too, and gave Reid a curious look. The three boys looked at Pogue as he walked, seemingly distant from his 'brothers'.

Caleb stared at him. He could feel waves of power radiating from Pogue's body, yet he did not seem to be Using at all. A suspicion grew in him - a suspicion linking Chase to Pogue's odd behaviour.

_Pogue's acting oddly today. And that smile creeps me out._ Reid directed the thought to both Caleb and Tyler.

_Yeah. He's almost...evil-looking. _Tyler thought.

_I know. He kind of resembles Chase today. Especially with that smile. _It was Caleb, who snapped out of his reverie.

Reid felt uncomfortable at that, since he knew that he was the one that really resembled Chase, though he wasn't evil. He hated to accuse Pogue of bearing resemblance to Chase. Tyler seemed to sense this and spoke mentally for him.

_That's rather harsh. But then, who knows? _Tyler projected the thought at his two 'brothers'.

_Oh crap. We're late by twenty seconds and she's already threatening to give us extra homework. Who needs History, especially when the history of the Covenant is WAY better? _Reid thought angrily, as the group rushed into the lecture hall.

"Twenty seconds! You wasted TWENTY SECONDS of History!" screeched Professor Miles, while looking at the extra pile of notes on the teacher's desk.

"Um, sorry, Professor!" the boys said, and hurried off to find seats. Reid sat in the topmost row, fully expecting Tyler to sit with him as usual. However, a grinning Pogue sat with him instead. Looking thoroughly scandalized, Tyler walked off to a seat next to Kate.

* * *

"Pogue, you okay? You don't look too good," Caleb asked after class (which ended, rather unfortunately, with an extra pile of notes each for the boys). 

Pogue had turned rather pale, and Caleb was certain his eyes seemed to turn from blue to darkest brown, almost midnight black, at least twice, once during class and once after class.

"Yeah. Just a little tired. I need to run to the restroom. Let's meet at Nicky's later," Pogue suggested.

"Okay, man," Reid said, as he turned to leave with the others.

Pogue ran to the restroom and washed his face. As soon as he did that, his eyes went involuntarily black, then dark blue. His hair receded till there was only spiky, dirty blonde hair. His body and face changed – he was slightly shorter and his face was a tad more angular.

He ducked into a cubicle just as a couple of other students entered the restroom. He stayed there, not daring to breathe in case the other students noticed him. As soon as he was sure the other students were gone, he took out Pogue's mobile phone which he had stolen and Used to change his voice.

"Sorry Caleb, I've got a bad headache, so I can't go to Nicky's. Tell the other guys. Yeah, see you tomorrow. And... don't call me, I really need some rest," he said, sounding exactly like Pogue.

As he and Caleb bade each other goodbye, he turned himself invisible and fled to the dark woods near the school.

* * *

The next day, Pogue turned up in school looking slightly better, although both Caleb and Tyler could swear that there was something different about Pogue's eyes and face. And the cold smile lingered, unnerving the rest. 

"You are okay today, Pogue?" Caleb asked suspiciously.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Wanna go to Nicky's today? I'm feeling much better today," Pogue said.

"Alright. Let's go, or we'll be late for English. I don't enjoy having an extra set of notes every day," Tyler said dryly.

_Don't you think there's something different about Pogue today?_ Caleb thought.

_Yeah, I know. He even looks like Chase. _Tyler replied.

_The eyes and the face. Not to forget – _

_The smile? Pogue's been acting totally weird since yesterday. Guess we'll have to put up with him. _Reid's thought butted in.

The three boys gave each other furtive glances as Pogue stared at the floor, ignoring the other three. There was, beyond doubt, something very weird about Pogue.

**So has my writing improved? Is this chapter too long, too short or just right? Also, I hope I got the details of Chase's appearance right (yes, the 'figure' is Chase). If not, please tell me. I'll try to fix that. **


	4. A Week to Ascension

**To all my reviewers: Thanks a lot! Hope everyone enjoys this.**

Reid awoke much earlier than usual. It was the day that began the week – the week that led to Reid's Ascension. He reached down, pulled out a dark orange journal and a black pen from the bedside drawer and began to write.

_I haven't written for a long time – not since Chase first appeared. Even if I had the time, Tyler would definitely pounce on you. Everyone sees me as the 'bad boy', which means if they find out I keep a journal, I'll be the instant laughing stock of Spenser Academy. The guys would tease me. They are asses sometimes._

_Talking about asses, Chase returned. I know that he will try to get our Power again. First it was Caleb as he was Ascending soon, and now it will be me. I'm his target now. Caleb didn't succumb to Chase, despite the fact that his life was hanging by a thread. Well, if he wants my powers, he'll have to kill me first._

_Caleb gave me a lecture a few days ago. I didn't believe him initially when he suspected Chase of being alive. When Tyler chose to believe Caleb, I laughed it off and said some shockingly logical stuff (for me, anyway). We had this big argument and I nearly ended up crushing his shoulder. Well, what he said may come true. The Garwin line may end with me. I am almost addicted to Using. I could just die if I Use way too much._

_Pogue has been a total weirdo lately. I know it's not nerves about his Ascension – he's Ascending after me, actually. In fact, I can actually feel Power coming from him, even when he doesn't seem to Use. He looks perfectly normal, except that he looked slightly different yesterday. Pogue has also been hanging around me a lot more than usual, although for some reason he seems to vanish whenever Kate and Sarah are around._

_As Pogue has been around me so much, I just know_ _Tyler feels uncomfortable. He's probably feeling left out and all – _

He paused as Tyler turned over in his sleep. Smiling slightly, he continued.

_-but I can't help it. Blame Pogue for his odd behaviour. Perhaps I should be blamed too – I do nothing to help myself. I've never been such a person. Instead I just let myself sink deeper and deeper till I can't do anything about it. _

_What's worse is that the trust and brotherly love among all of us is forced. None of us wholly trusts Pogue any more, Tyler and I have grown distant in a mere two days and Caleb is the only one keeping us together. He's a pretty good guy, but he controls us a little too much. But if he didn't, well, we may have been dead or exposed by now. _

_The outings at Nicky's are also quite forced. We don't do anything, except chat a bit and tell a couple of lame jokes to lighten everyone's mood. We barely play pool or foosball now. We just go home or back to the dorms (for Ty and I) much earlier than usual. All this would have been better if Chase had died back at the Putnam barn._

_I admit that I do miss the old times, when we had so much fun together and didn't have many cares in the world, except for all that exposure and Ascension thing. I even miss the times when I could get away with playing pranks in class, only to be screamed at by Caleb while Tyler and Pogue laugh at it. If only the old times were back…_

Reid stopped writing, although his pen was still poised as though for writing. He stared up at the ceiling, thinking about what he had written. With a sigh, he put the journal and pen back in the drawer and pretended to sleep.

**I admit that this chapter is short and maybe even OOC to you guys, but this is like exploring a different side of Reid as he is now the key character (because of Chase). I promise that you'll see more – WAY more - in the next chapter (which I am already working on)! You will also see it very soon, in a couple more days (I hope). **


	5. Sinisterly Familiar

**Here's Chapter 5 for you guys to enjoy! Current pairings are: CalebSarah, PogueKate, ReidOC and TylerOC. I decided to be fair to all of the guys. Again I say I own none of the Covenant characters and locations, I only own the characters I created myself. I would also like to thank every single one of my reviewers for supporting me!**

The figure slipped into the house as silently and quickly as possible, despite his weak form. He stepped lightly and glared at Pogue Parry, who lay on his bed but was very much awake. He was bound by ropes of energy that were fading away at an alarming speed.

"Chase Pope, I swear I'm going to kill you now," Pogue glowered, a ball of energy forming in his outstretched palm.

The other one's eyes went black and the ropes of energy vanished. Pogue jumped up from his bed, a sphere of Power in his hands. As soon as the figure began to look down, he threw the ball of energy at the figure, who managed to catch it. However, the energy seemed to hurt his hand for he let out a gasp of pain. He glared malevolently and disappeared in complete silence before Pogue had another chance to hit him.

* * *

"Hey guys," Pogue smiled warmly at his friends.

"Hi Pogue," Caleb said, a little warily.

"Caleb, I believe you now. About your suspicions that Chase did not die," Pogue said after a moment's silence – both Reid and Tyler were unnaturally quiet.

"Didn't you tell me that two days ago?" asked Caleb, surprised. Even Reid and Tyler seemed to pay more attention.

"No. I wasn't even here for two days. Chase put a spell on me. He tied me up with his Power so I couldn't free – what?!" Pogue stopped upon seeing the shocked looks the rest gave him.

"But we saw you these two days!" Reid said, finally acknowledging his presence.

"No. I think you saw Chase instead," Pogue replied bitterly.

"Chase? So that explains it… The eyes, the face and that creepy smile. Of _course_!" Tyler said, looking at Pogue rather apologetically.

"No matter. Well, anyway, Chase looked seriously weak when he freed me yesterday. He was absolutely pale and when I threw a ball of Power at him, he caught it but his hand was hurt. He was practically desperate to get away," Pogue said wryly.

"Oh. You see, guys, he was Using a lot, pretending to be Pogue for about seven or eight whole hours a day. That's extremely taxing for anyone with the Power regardless of strength, so he's currently quite weak. He'll need some time to recuperate. Although I think that he'll be too weak to strike on Reid's birthday, he will definitely make an attempt on our Power, maybe even all at once," Caleb explained as the rest looked at him, slightly confused.

"So all of us are in danger, then?" Reid said.

"Yeah. None of us is safe at all. I _hate_ Chase…" muttered Pogue, as they turned a corner, bumping into Kate, Sarah and a girl they had never seen before.

"Hey Pogue," Kate smiled, hugging her boyfriend.

Caleb gave Sarah a quick kiss on her head and asked, "Who's this?"

"That's our friend, she just transferred here. Boys, meet Jolene Evans. Jolene, meet the Ipswich boys, two of whom are taken," added Kate with a laugh, indicating Caleb and Pogue.

Jolene had a petite body frame, tanned skin, shoulder-length light brown hair and large hazel eyes. She smiled warmly at the boys and shook each of their hands.

"I'm Reid. Reid Garwin," Reid said charmingly, flashing a bright smile.

"I'm Tyler Sims, Ty for short," Tyler said with a slight blush.

"Sarah and Kate told me about Caleb and Pogue. They didn't exactly tell me a lot about the two of you, though," Jolene said liltingly.

"Perhaps they had wanted you to meet us first? You know, to add a touch of mystery?" Reid offered with a smile.

"I guess so," Jolene replied, looking up in Reid's blue eyes.

"We've got to go to class. See you later, boys, Bye, Caleb," Sarah said, hugging Caleb.

"Bye! Hey – um – wanna meet at Nicky's later?" Reid called out suddenly.

"Okay!" Jolene called back.

As the boys walked on, Reid remarked, "I like Jolene. She's _hot_."

"Yeah. She is. You didn't give me a chance to talk to her," Tyler said moodily.

"C'mon, Ty. Maybe you can pick up a couple of other girls later at Nicky's," Pogue said encouragingly.

At this, Tyler seemed to brighten up and the group walked on, albeit faster since there were about three minutes left before class started.

* * *

Kate, Sarah, Jolene and another girl walked into Nicky's. Searching for the Covenant boys, they accidentally bumped into a guy about their age. Sarah and Kate looked at him in the eye and they saw something sinisterly familiar.

There was definitely _something _about that guy, although the two could not exactly put their finger on it. They looked at each other, each knowing what the other was thinking instinctively. When they spotted the boys discussing something seriously, they walked over.

As soon as Tyler saw the girls approaching, he quickly whispered, "The girls are here. With another hot girl."

They quickly straightened up and began to chat lightly, careful not to mention anything about the Covenant. If it was Kate and Sarah, they could listen to their discussion since they knew about the Covenant, but they wouldn't risk anything with any of their other friends – even if they trusted them.

"Hi guys. This is my roommate, Caitlin Alyson," smiled Jolene. Behind her stood a girl slightly taller than her, with large grey eyes, porcelain-white skin and long fiery red hair with streaks of dark brown in it.

"Hello. They told me quite a lot about you. You're Caleb, Sarah's boyfriend, Pogue, Kate's boyfriend, Reid, the guy who Jolene said she likes – come _on_, Jolene! And Tyler… you're cute," she added suddenly.

"You, too," smiled Tyler.

Sitting right next to Tyler, she began to engage him in conversation while the rest watched quite rudely. "Anybody – er – wants drinks?" Sarah said uncertainly.

The rest snapped back to reality and began to chat while Sarah and Caleb walked to the counter, ordering drinks for everyone. As they walked back, Caleb noticed that Sarah looked anxious and afraid.

"Sarah, are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

"I'll tell you later in the car if you are willing to take me back to the school," Sarah replied with a weak smile.

"Anything for you, Sarah," Caleb whispered as they neared the table.

When they returned to the seat, Sarah let out a partially shocked gasp. "Jolene, what are you _doing_?"

Jolene and Reid were kissing fiercely, as though glued together at the lips, oblivious to everyone else around them – even to those glaring at the couple jealously.

"Reid, aren't you moving fast?" Caleb acted horrified.

"Well, what about you and Sarah? How many days did it take the two of you to start kissing, then?" laughed Reid, breaking away from Jolene.

Hearing that, a red flush crept up both Caleb's and Sarah's cheeks. The two looked at each other sheepishly. However, Caleb was struck by a pang of guilt. He had been so close to Sarah that both of them were in danger, although Sarah's life had been hanging by a thread.

"It's late. It's already eight-thirty – if we don't get back by nine, we'll be locked out of school," Caitlin said apologetically, stealing a glance at Tyler who looked rather disappointed.

"Oh, alright. Sarah, are you going with us?" Kate asked Sarah.

"No. I'll be with Caleb, see you later!" Sarah said quickly, pulling Caleb with her.

When she saw that she was truly alone with Caleb, she said quietly, "Caleb… I want to ask you something."

"Ask then," Caleb said, playing with Sarah's hair.

"Is Chase still alive?" Sarah asked.

Caleb stopped touching Sarah's long hair and drove on for a while, before replying heavily, "Yes. It turned out that he didn't die. He must have escaped, or protected himself from the fire in the Putnam barn."

"Oh Caleb… I don't want you – or anyone else to die… I'm scared, Caleb, I really am," Sarah said tearfully.

"Don't worry, Sarah. Don't. I promise that we'll get through this, okay? Don't worry," whispered Caleb, as they pulled over near the school.

Caleb stroked Sarah's hair and face, her head on his chest. They stayed that way for quite awhile, oblivious to time passing by slowly.

"I have to get back to my dorm now, it's close to nine already. I'll see you in school tomorrow," Sarah said sadly, as her mobile phone rung.

"Yeah. Bye, Sarah," Caleb said, kissing Sarah.

When they broke apart, he watched Sarah as she climbed out of the passenger seat and walked towards the school. When he saw her waving in the light of her dorm room, he smiled and drove home.

**Well there, so I hope this was a satisfying chapter. Please review and I say thanks in advance! I'll also try to update soon. And, do tell me if there are any parts you found bad so I can fix it. Thank you!**


	6. The Discovery

**Chapter six at last, do enjoy! I wish to thank my reviewers for motivating me to improve in my writing. Please R&R!**

"Wow Caitlin, you were totally chatting up Tyler. I suppose the two of you talked a lot about each other," Jolene asked, climbing into the bed.

"Yeah. But seeing how the two of you progressed so fast, in Caleb's words... I guess you are totally into him!" laughed Caitlin.

"Well, yes," Jolene said a little defensively as she blushed, then continued, "but we just clicked, you know what I mean? He's the perfect guy… Anyway do you know why him and the other boys are called the Sons of Ipswich?"

"No… Tyler was so tight-lipped about that. He didn't speak until I changed the subject," Caitlin replied, checking her mobile phone for any text messages.

"Same for Reid. Kate said it was merely a label everyone else slapped on them, and didn't say anything more. It's weird – I mean, she's Pogue's longtime girlfriend. Don't you think they know something we don't?" Jolene sighed.

"Definitely. The names 'Sons of Ipswich' sounds familiar… like something I read in the school library. Why don't we check it out tomorrow after classes?" Caitlin suggested.

Jolene nodded with enthusiasm and the pair of best friends drifted off to sleep as they lay their heads on their pillows.

* * *

They walked about the shelves in the library. It had failed them so far – the information in the books they found did not mention anything about four 'Sons of Ipswich'. 

As Caitlin searched the shelves again, a thick brown book caught her eye. She pulled it out and tapped Jolene's shoulder. "This is the book!" she whispered.

"The Chronicles of Paganism? Are you sure?" questioned Jolene.

"Definitely… look here. The Sons of Ipswich are mentioned here – Danvers, Parry, Garwin, Sims and… Putnam? The Putnam family bloodline was destroyed in the Salem witch-hunting craze of the 1600s. Look. It mentions something called the Covenant, which the five Sons of Ipswich belong to," Caitlin said, her finger trailing each word.

"Hey girls," a familiar voice called.

"Reid! Hi," Jolene said, turning around to see her boyfriend and Tyler walking towards them.

However, Tyler seemed to be staring at the opened book in Caitlin's hands. The expression on his face was unreadable – was that worry and anger on his face, or was it something else?

"Ty – oh God… Not that book. Again," Reid groaned, his arms folded around him.

"What's – what's this Covenant?" Jolene asked bravely.

"Jo, I can't tell you now. I promise to tell you the truth later on. Caitlin, Tyler will tell you too. I'll get Caleb and Pogue so you'll understand everything better. We'll meet in your dorm in one hour, okay?" Reid said in a low whisper as students walked past them.

"And girls… keep yourselves safe. I want the two of you to stay in your dorms together and don't get out at all till we come," Tyler said, looking over at Caitlin with worry clearly etched in his features.

They watched as Caitlin put the book back on the shelf and walked out of the library with Jolene at her side. Feeling assured, they went to find Caleb and Pogue.

* * *

"What? Reid, are you kidding me?!" Caleb said, pacing around in the dorm of Tyler and Reid. 

"No. I'd never joke about something this serious. They know some of the Covenant history already. We have to tell them before Chase gets to them," Reid replied, hints of anger in his voice.

"I have absolutely no desire to have either Jolene or Caitlin covered in spider bites, okay?" Tyler said pointedly.

"Shut up about that matter. You know I hate to be reminded of it. However, Caleb, Tyler and Reid are right. If something happens to them it'll be our fault because they didn't know enough," Pogue agreed, albeit grudgingly.

"Okay. We'll go now, they must have been waiting long," Caleb said, standing up and opening the door.

The others smiled wryly and walked up to the dorm room. The group knocked on the door and waited for a reply, before Caitlin opened the door and threw her arms around Tyler.

"Oh, thank goodness you're here!" she said, letting go of him and opening the door wide to let them into the room.

"All four of us have the Power. The Power allows us to do anything we want. However, the downside is that we age with each use. Our eyes turn black when we Use, so we have to be extremely careful. On our eighteenth birthday, on the exact hour of our birth, we Ascend – that is, we get more powers which are even more seductive than before.

Three centuries ago, a Covenant of silence was made to protect the Sons of Ipswich. There were actually five Sons of Ipswich, but John Putnam nearly exposed the Covenant. Therefore, he was hung and since he had no descendants yet, it was thought that the Putnam bloodline had vanished without a trace," Reid explained.

"However, barely a month ago, a few days before Caleb's eighteenth birthday, someone named Chase Collins appeared. It turned out that he was a descendant of the Putnam line. His real name is Chase Pope. Before John Putnam was exposed, a woman accused Putnam of sneaking into her room disguised as an incubus. This woman had the surname Pope – she gave birth to John Putnam's descendant and thus, the Putnam bloodline did not wholly disappear.

Anyway, Chase wanted Caleb's Power and chose to strike on his eighteenth birthday. They had a battle at the Putnam barn. We thought Caleb had destroyed Chase, but we were wrong. He survived and now he wants to possess our Power too. Reid is in the most danger – he's Ascending in six days. Chase had posed as Pogue for two days, and he's currently very weak. He will attempt to obtain our Power again, using other ways and means to do so. I am afraid he will use you and Jolene to get to us. Thus, we need you to stay safe," Tyler continued for Reid, looking at Caitlin as he said the last part.

"Chase also cast a spell on Kate once – he used spiders, and there were spider bites all over Kate's body. I – I feared she wouldn't make it. She recovered after Caleb defeated Chase that night. Thank goodness she hasn't got a relapse…" Pogue said quietly, his chin resting on his hands.

"Promise me to keep yourselves safe. I don't want anything to happen to you. We'll get through this, and I swear I won't let Chase hurt you," Reid said determinedly, as he stood up, kissing Jolene's forehead.

"I promise you, Reid. I promise," whispered Jolene.

"Caitlin, you too. Be safe, alright? I don't wanna lose you," Tyler said, putting an arm around Caitlin.

"Yes. I'll be safe. I'll be here for you," Caitlin smiled at Tyler.

Feeling that it was not an appropriate time to stay in the room, Caleb and Pogue decided to leave. They knew that the true battle – the battle which had to stop the evil of Chase, and also the battle that would determine if the Covenant would continue to exist – was near.

**That's it for Chapter six. I apologize for the rather late chapter since I was quite busy this week. I need readers to note that I can update this story only once before Christmas – or if I have enough time, only twice – due to the fact I'll be traveling overseas to celebrate Christmas in a couple weeks' time and that I'm busy next week. Well, please review and thanks!**


	7. A Night of Fun

**I apologize for the very late chapter. I had a writer's block on this one and I was developing the other story. Please R&R! I was also rather disappointed to see only one review for the previous chapter. I don't think I'll continue if I don't see reviews. Sorry, but that's one thing I stick to. So, well, please enjoy.**

Reid sighed as he stepped into the dorm room, tossing his bag on the bed. "What's up, Reid?" Tyler asked, shifting his gaze from the book he had been reading for the past hour to Reid. "And where _were_ you?"

"Nicky's tonight," Reid replied vaguely, and then explained dully, "I was thinking of going to Nicky's tonight. And I was in the library with Jolene, Pogue and Kate."

"You wanna go to Nicky's tonight? With Chase after you, possibly lurking anywhere?" Tyler said in disbelief.

"You do know there's no need to state the obvious, don't you? Anyway, I just wanted a bit of fun. I talked to Pogue about this, he agreed that it might be okay to release a little stress," Reid said dryly.

"You sound like we have a major examination coming up," snickered Tyler, fixing his eyes upon the book again.

"Isn't Chase the biggest test, though? We're meeting the others at Nicky's in half an hour's time," Reid said as he grabbed a dark orange jacket, a black t-shirt and a pair of jeans from the wardrobe.

"I still don't think you should go. Better to be safe than sorry," Tyler said, although he did close his book.

"Oh, and we had time to have fun at Nicky's a few days before Caleb's birthday. Even if it did end up with us having a big fight involving our Power," added Reid, somewhat sheepishly.

"We didn't know what Chase was back then. We thought he was just another regular kid that transferred in. We know he's a threat _now_," Tyler reasoned.

"Just shut up and get dressed already or I'll go without you," Reid said, throwing him a stern look.

Rolling his eyes, Tyler stood up with reluctance, picked out his outfit and dressed. Sometimes, he just hated Reid in a brotherly way.

"Hey! Where's my pair of fingerless gloves?" yelled Reid.

-

Caleb leaned against the foosball table, observing the throngs of people around him. He was, as usual, five minutes early. A sudden cold gust of wind blew past and he heard a squeal of surprise.

He walked over to the pool tables and saw Tyler smirking as he leaned against the table, with three twenty-dollar notes in his hand, while Reid stood there rolling his eyes at him.

"What happened? And where's Pogue?" Caleb questioned, looking around.

"I won. I guessed pink lace as usual and I got it right. And Pogue, who never lost since the first game onwards until now, is getting a drink over there," Tyler said brightly.

"I've never won once! And I started the game," whined Reid, looking at the money wistfully.

"Bad luck, like me, I suppose?" Pogue said as he walked over, a cup of coke in his hands.

"At least I will be officially eighteen in five days!" Reid smiled.

"I'll be in nine days," countered Pogue, and he took up a cue.

"It'll be dangerous," muttered Caleb, looking steadily at the ground. He seemed oblivious to the fact that he had said it louder than he had meant it to be.

The rest of the group looked over at him. They understood perfectly what he meant. Ascending was a very big deal and from what Caleb had told them, the pain was great and the feeling was the worst ever, hurting every single part of their body and soul.

"Loosen up a little, Caleb. We know how to handle it," Pogue said encouragingly.

"And we _are_ here for a night of fun. Not all that serious Ascending stuff, okay?" Reid added.

"And it's not like Chase is going to come after you or Sarah. It'll be us -" Tyler stopped as the rest threw him dirty looks.

_Tyler Sims, you idiot! You're adding on to his worries. And once again you display your wonderful gift of stating the obvious that we so envy. _Reid thought sarcastically.

Tyler said quickly, with a hint of anger in his voice, "Er – just have some fun, okay?"

"Fine… And Reid, I don't think Tyler really appreciated your scolding," Caleb said, a smirk emerging on his face.

"What on earth are you doing with your Power, really?" Reid rolled his eyes and handed a laughing Tyler a cue before he began to play.

"Have you ever seen a pair of brothers – or best friends as close as blood brothers - like that, honestly?" Caleb laughed as he walked over to the foosball table with Pogue.

**Alright, that's it for now.Please tell me if it's bad and I'll fix it until it's good enough!**


End file.
